Sewing machine



J. S. QHIPMAN SEWING MACHINE Gait 31, 1933.,

Filed April '15, 1930 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 J JZ/ @ct 31, 1933. J. s. CHIPMAN 1,932,573

SEWING MACHINE Filed April 15, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 chem ucqg @ct. 31, 1933 i 5 |P N 1,932,573

SEWING MACHINE Filed April 15, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Oct. 31, 1933 UNITED STATES SEWING MACHINE John S. Chipman, Easton, Pa., assignor to Union Special Machine Company,

poration of Illinois Chicago, 111., a cor- Application April 15, 1930. Serial No. 444,583

2 Claims.

. The invention relates to new and useful improvernents in sewing machines, and more particularly to a sewing machine for joining theedgc portions of knitted fabric sections by overedge 53 stitches which unite and cover the edges of the fabric sections. It is well known that the edge portions of cut knitted fabrics curl and roll backward onto-one face of the fabric. t has been customary to provide a sewing machine with an uncurling device which will receive two fabric sections with their edges curled away from each other and lay said edges flat against each other for the presenting of the same to a stitching mechanism.

An object of the present invention is to provide an uncurling device which will operate upon the curling edges of the fabric sections which are placed facing each other so as to roll or uncurl said edges outwardly whereby the edge portions maybe placed flat against each other for stitching'. a

A further object of the invention is to provide a sewing machine with an uncurler of the above type which is provided with means for separating the fabric sections, uncurling or rolling the edge portions outwardly and for placing said edge portions flat against each other and directingthe same to the stitching'rnechanism.

In the drawings which show by way of illustration one embodiment of the .invention:-'

Figure 1 shows a portion of a machine having the invention applied thereto and as viewed in the direction of I feed.

Fig. 2 is a front view of the parts shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view partly in section on the line 33 of Fig. 2, and partly in plan showing the improved uncurler and the fabric sections passing therethrough tothe stitching mechanism.

Fig. 4 is a sectional View on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a view showing in side elevation the uncurler and in broken lines thefabric sections passing therethrough. The invention is directed to a sewing machine for stitching the edge portions of knitted fabrics. It has been a common practice to direct the edge portions of knitted fabric sectionsthrough a guiding and uncurling means as the edge portions pass to the stitching mechanism for uncurling or unrolling the edge portions so that the edge portions may be placed flat against each other for uniting. The fabric sections have been placed so that they have their. edge portions with the faces adjacent each other away from which the edges curl and the uncurler unrolls or uncurls the edges toward each other.

The present invention has to do particularly with an uncurler and edge guiding means which is-adapted to receive th knitted fabric sections a curled or rolled portions on the respective fabric sections for rolling them outwardly and finally placing said edge-portions in flat contact with each other at the stitching point. I

Referring more in detail to the drawings, the invention is shown as applied to a sewing machine which includes a supporting frame structure 1. Mounted on this frame structure 1 is a feed cup 2 which is supported on a shaft so as to rotate about a vertical axis. This shaft is mounted in the sleeve 3. Attached to the frame 1 of the machine is a bracket 4 to which is hinged a supporting arm 5 carrying a sleeve 6 in'which the shaft is mounted that supports the outer feed cup 7. This shaft supporting the outer feed cup is driven by a flexible shaft extending through the sleeve 8. This type of machine is well known in the art and it is not thought necessary to show or describe in detail the devices for operating these feed cups. They both rotate about vertical axes and the outer feed cup is shiftable toward and from the inner feed cup.

The machine includes a needle bar 9 which carries a needle 10. Cooperating with the-needle 10 .is a looper 11 which is mounted on a looper supporting rod 12. The looper supporting rod 12 is given oscillations, rising and falling motions, and lateral motions so that the looper passes into the needle thread loop and is then raised and. carried across the edges of the fabric sections being stitched and lowered to a position so thatthe needle enters the looper thread loop formed by the looper. This stitch forming mechanism is of a well known character and it is not thought that further detailed description thereof is necessary.

The stitches are laid over a stitch finger 13 and are fed off from the end of this stitch finger as the fabric sections pass between the feed cups. The fabric sections are indicated in the drawings at F and. F. The fabric section F normally tends to .curl as indicated at f; the fabric section F normally tends to curl as indicated at f.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide means whereby the fabric sections F and F may be placed with the curled edge portions facing each other, and said curled edge portions unrolled so that the fabric sections may be placed flat against each other and directed to the stitching m chanism. To this end the machine is equipped with means for separating the edge portions or directing the edge portions which have been separated by t1 e operator, and an uncurler is disposed between the fabric sec-- tions so to engage the respective curled edge portions for unrolling thesame upwardly and outwardly, and then for directing said unrolled edges into fiat contact with each other. The fabric sections are led first to a separating and uncurling member 14 which is attached to a plate 15. or formed as a part of a depending arm 16 pivoted at 17 to the main frame of the machine. This arm 16 is held in its lower operative position which is substantially vertical, by a locking dog 18. This locking dog 18 is pivoted at 19 to the arm and is adapted to engage one of the notches 20 in the supporting bracket 21 to which the arm 16 is pivoted. A spring 22 normally presses the locking dog so as to force the upper end thereof into contact with the bracket.

A releasing lever 23 is provided which is pivoted at 24 to the depending arm 16 and which is provided with a slot 25 adapted to engage a pin 26 carried by the locking dog. When this lever 23 is raised, it will cause the dog to be released from the bracket so that by an upward movement of the hand of the operator against the lever 23, the dog will be unlocked and the arm 16 may be swung to an inoperative position and the dog released so as to engage one of tho notches and hold the arm in this position. This is a common way of supporting a guide for a cup I wardly projecting fingers 30 on the opposite sides of the fabric sections serve to catch in the fabric enough to hold the stocking in place between the guides. The edge of the inwardly rolled portion of the fabric section will be engaged by the shoulder 31 and forced upwardly into a substantially horizontal position as indicated at f in Fig. e.

These portions are held separated by the plate 15 and are brought into flat vertical position by the yielding presser members There is a yielding presser member on eachside of the cen tral plate 15. Each presser member is mounted on a pivot 33 and a spring engaging each presser member above its pivotal support forces the lower end of the'presser member against the plate 15. The forward end of each presser member 32 is curved as indicated at 35. T are is also a curved upper face on each presser member which in cross section is curved inwardly to more or less of a sharp shoulder. The curved face 36 terminates in a recess 37 which is just back of the forward curved end 35 of the presser member. This construction of press- The plate 15 is in turn attached to er member is, so far as the shaping of the upper edge and the forward end thereof, similar to that used in the well known forms of uncurlers for this type of machine.

The forward end of presser member 32 on its inner face curves away from the plate 15, asclearly shown at 32 in Fig. 3. The fabric sections F and F as they pass into the guiding and uncurling member 1 are separated. They may be separated by the finger of the operator, and they should be directed so that one passes along the outer face of the receiving plate 27 while the other fabric section along the outer face of the receiving plate 28.

The uncurling shoulders 31 will roll the edge portions outwardly and then as the fabric sections are directed toward each other and beneath the presser members 32, they will be brought against the plate 15 with the edges uncurled and fiat against the plate. The edge portions are now substantially in vertical position. The edge of the fabric passes beneath a limiting pin 38 which prevents the edges from working upwardly and directs said edge portions downwardly to. the proper position so that they will pass beneath the plate '39 carrying the finger 13. The plate 39 overlaps the edges of the feed cups and serves as a guide for insuring that the edges of the fabric sections will be so positioned that the needle will pass therethrough while the looper will pass over the edges from oneside of the fabric sections to the other side thereof during the stitching operation.

From the above it will be apparent that a v means has been provided whereby fabric sections may have their faces adjacent the normal inrolling of the edge portions placed adjacent each other and as these fabric sections are directed to the guiding and uncurling device they 7 will be separated sufficiently so as to allow the uncurling devices to work from the adjacent faces of the fabric sectionsoutwardly, thus uncurling the edge portions by rolling said edge portions outwardly and upwardly.

After leaving this uncurling member the fabric sections are brought face to face with the edge.

portions flat against each other and directed to the stitching mechanism. The presser members 32 are, as shown in the drawings, equipped for uncurling outwardly rolling portions of fabric sections and if there is any tendency of the fabric sections to roll outwardly at any point in the seaming of the article these presser members will insure that the edge portions will lie flatly one against the other as they are directed to the stitching mechanism.

While the device for guiding and uncurling the edge portions of fabric sections are shown asapplied to a particular type of sewing machine having feed cups for supporting and directing the fabric sections to the stitching mechanism, it willbe understood that the uncurling device may be used in connection'with other types of machines. The essential feature is that it is so constructed as to operate to roll outwardly the edge portions of two fabric sections which positionedso that the normal tendency of the Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A sewing machine including in combination a stitching mechanism, a feeding mechanism, a central guide plate along which the edge portions of fabric sections to be united are passed, presser members operating upon the respective fabric sections for holding the same against the plate, an uncurler carried by and projecting forwardly from said plate, said uncurler having spaced plates along the outer face of which fabric sections are guided, each plate having a finger adapted to pass beneath the inrolling edge portion of its respective fabric section and an uncurling shoulder adapted to engage the respective incurling edge portions of the fabric sections for rolling the same outwardly and upwardly to a position whereby they may be directed in a single vertical plane along the guiding plate to the stitching mechanism.

2. A sewing machine comprising in combination a stitch forming mechanism, a feeding mechanism for supporting and feeding the edge portions of fabric sections to the stitching mechathe fabric sections, said uncurling member hav- 7 ing spaced plates along the outer faces of which the fabric sections are guided with the curled edge portions extending over into the space between said plates, each plate having a finger at the forward end thereof, and a substantiallyhorizontal edge in rear of said finger and in advance of the presser members for uncurling the edgeportions as they pass from the fingers beneath the presser members.

- JOHN S. CI-IIPMAN.

IOU 

